月に叢雲華に風
by Puppeteer of Hearts
Summary: [Meeting the relief with blindness disappeared I am not going to give up the passion of love arising inside me] P3P retelling, double twin journey with a few twists. Such as Hamuko already having an active Potential. Rating may change as story goes on.
1. Midnight Arrival

_**[Attention passengers, the last stop for the Iwatodai Circle Line is approaching. All those who are disembarking at Iwaotdai Station should prepare to exit the train. I repeat, the last stop for the Iwatodai Circle Line …]**_

A single blue-grey eye opened at the blaring P.A. system crackled into life overhead, rousing the teen with a grunt. 'That's our station …' The teen thought, sitting up from where he had been leaning. He was scrawny for his height, wearing a grey coat and black slacks. Silver headphones were clipped over his ears, accenting the grey-blue eyes that tried to hide behind an unruly mop of blue hair. Stretching as he stood up, the teen let out a yawn and took off his headphones, opting instead to pull a backpack onto his shoulders.

Once he was satisfied with the way it settled across his back, the teen turned to his companion; sound asleep against the seat was a teenage girl with auburn hair, her breathing easy and oblivious to the P.A. system's message. Her clothes were a pale yellow sweater and a plaid orange skirt, with black tights and brown, knee-high boots over her legs. Like her male companion, she had an MP3 player, but hers boasted red headphones instead of silver. Letting out an amused breath, the blue-haired teen reached over and shook her shoulder. "C'mon, Hamuko; we're near our stop." He muttered, not stopping his actions until he heard a replying groan.

" 'M up Minato, I'm up ..." The now-named Hamuko muttered as she woke up, batting at Minato's hand. Ruby red eyes glowered sleepily at blue-grey ones, and the girl yawned and stretched. "We're nearly there? About time … I thought we'd get there tomorrow morning at this rate." She muttered, sitting up fully as Minato pulled her backpack off of the overhead shelf.

"You and me both, Hamuko." the blue-haired teen admitted, offering her the bag. "Here's hoping that there will be someone awake at the dorm when we get there; I don't want to sleep out on the street curb overnight." Hamuko gave an absent-minded nod, reaching up to grab a long tube that had been resting behind the bags. Minato arched an eyebrow when he saw it. "You brought your practice naginata? I didn't think Gekkoukan had that for a club ..."

"I know, I know." The girl replied with a small smile, strapping the tube to the side of her backpack. "I'm just not comfortable walking around a new city without it, y'know?" Waiting until Minato rolled his eyes at her, Hamuko giggled and gripped onto the handrail as the train began to slow down. "Ah, here we are." She said with a chipper smile, eyes brightening; the static overhead indicated that the PA system was confirming her statement.

_**[Attention, we are entering Iwatodai Station. Please refrain from approaching the doors until the train comes to a complete stop.]**_

Minato gripped the hand rail as the train slowed, looking around to see a few of the other passengers standing up and preparing their things, a young mother hoisting her sleeping toddler into her arms near the doors. The massive, fast-moving machinery began to grind to a halt, the sound of breaks sure to wake up anyone who had managed to sleep through the electronic announcement.

It wasn't long before the train reached the station, the electronic doors slowly parting to let the patients exit. Minato sighed in relief, leading his twin sister off of the train while turning off his Mp3 player. "We finally made it … now we just have to high tail it to the dorm." He commented, reaching into the breast pocket of his coat for the map their grandfather had given them. Hamuko made an agreeing noise, seemingly distracted; when Minato turned to glance at her, he spotted his twin looking at the large clock on display in the station.

"We've got five minutes until midnight ..." She muttered under her breath, her normally happy face serious. The auburn didn't seem to notice her twin's stare as a frown tugged at her lips, one of her hands going to the practice naginata's tube.

"Hamuko?" Minato asked, worried; it took a lot for his sister to act like this. His question seemed to snap her out of it, because she turned to him and blinked before offering him a quiet smile.

"Haha, sorry." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just felt uncomfortable walking around a new city after midnight, that's all." Minato let the topic rest at that, knowing that, if nothing else, his sister was incredibly stubborn. If she didn't want to let something slip, it did not slip. Pushing the thought to the back of his brain, he pulled out the slip of paper he had been looking for, unfolding it to reveal a partial map of the city.

"Anyway, the dorm we're looking for is just down this road here ..." Minato began, leading his twin out of the train station. "We're going to want to take a left, and go straight before hitting a dead end. Then we want to make a slight left, and it'll be the large, four-story, brick building on on the right side of the street. Look for the green doors with the Gekkoukan school emblem on it."

"Gotcha." Hamuko nodded, grinning. Relieved to see that his sister was behaving like her normal self, Minato gently gripped her hand and began to lead her in the direction they needed to go. Several of the people around them saw this and smiled, although the blue-haired teen wagered a fair chunk of them thought that the two teenagers were dating instead of siblings. Pushing the thought aside, Minato smiled as he glanced up at the moon; it was a few nights away from full, the bright orb shyly peeking out from behind buildings and bright street lights. 'So different from back home in Inaba …' He thought quietly to himself, turning to ask Hamuko something when the power cut without warning.

The teen froze, grey-blue eyes widening in shock. What had just happened? While Minato knew it was common for teenagers to stay up late often, he was a heavy sleeper, and needed a lot of it. His younger sisters liked to joke that he was a cat in a previous life, but as he turned around, Minato knew that he had no clue what was going on as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the light.

Beside him, Hamuko had frowned, opening the tube to her side and pulling out the practice naginata. It was six and a half feet of hard oak – there was no way they'd get away with a live blade on a train – and the auburn-haired girl held it with confidence as she closed up the tube she carried it in again. "Crap, we're gonna have to book it, Minato."

"Hamuko …?" Minato blinked again, confused as his sister took his hand again and began to lead him down the road, naginata at the ready in his other hand. Her being this serious was … rare. _Naoto _was normally the super serious one, while Hamuko seemed to exist solely to brighten up a dull room; seeing her so serious was … worrisome.

And was it just him, or were some of the shadows _moving? _

It had been a lucky glance out of the corner of his eye that had let Minato catch a glimpse of something moving. It had been low to the ground and black, like the rest of the nearly all-swallowing darkness around them, so it had been hard to see. About ready to call Hamuko and tell her he had seen something move, Minato let out a yelp as clipped something on the left.

The 'something' turned out to be a coffin when Minato got a better look; it was made of an unknown black material, and stood slightly taller than the average adult. It seemed to be sealed shut, at least, a series of red chains wrapped around it and keeping whatever was inside of it contained. Both twins halted in their tracks, not sure what to make of everything going on around them. "Wha … what's going on …?" Minato asked, voice quiet.

"I … I don't really know ..." Hamuko admitted, shifting so she had both hands on her naginata. "I mean … I've been in this before, but never without Jii-chan around to help bail me out. But … nothing seems to be coming after us, for now ..." A quick movement down one alley made her look, blinking as she saw what looked like the head of a horse lashing out to bite into something. It was gone with a second look, but that only increased her nerves. "but we should hurry to the dorm … and pray the doors are unlocked."

Minato nodded in agreement, starting to hurry up. They were almost to the building now, and Hamuko made sure to keep close, eyes darting back and forth as they moved towards the large building ahead. Hamuko spotted the horse from before a few times more, a faint flicker of blue fire following it; she could never get a good look at it to pin down exactly what it was.

The twins reached the large, oak doors to the dorm with an audible thud, Minato crashing into them with a yelp after tripping on the topmost step. Hamko managed to halt with much more elegance, keeping her back to her brother as she made sure nothing could sneak up on them from behind as her brother opened the doors to get inside. To Minato's great relief, they were unlocked, and he stumbled inside as quickly as he could manage, Hamuko behind him.

Both twins leaned against the doors for a moment, catching their breath. "We … we're safe in here, right?" Minato asked, looking around. The lack of lighting apart from the large moon outside made it hard to really examine the interior of the building far past the large windows that flanked the front doors.

"We should be ..." Hamuko nodded, standing up as she put her practice naginata away. A faint noise caught her hearing from near the right window, and she cautiously wandered over to look. It took all of her control not to shriek when the head of a skeletal horse stared back at her, gold eyes appearing out from beneath its chamfron, blue fire licking at its neck like a mane. It seemed satisfied by her being inside, and shook its head with a snort before backing away from the window. Confused, Hamuko pressed herself against the glass, but could only glimpse the blue fire as the strange beast galloped back down the road they had come from.

'I wonder what that was …'

Minato hadn't noticed his sister wandering around, opting instead to lean against the door tiredly. He was unnerved by the strange atmosphere, and he was praying it went away soon. There was a pressure at the back of his mind, wearing him down faster than such late hours normally did. 'What … is going on...?'

"You're late."

The young voice beside his left elbow made Minato jump a foot in the air, eyes widening as he turned to look. Standing there, behind a check-in desk, was a pale skinned boy of ten years old. His blue eyes almost seem to glow in the dim lighting, and were jarring against his black hair and striped pajamas. His demeanor seemed friendly, despite the scare he had given Minato, making the blue haired boy lower his guard a fraction.

"I'm sorry …?" He apologized weakly, wondering if the boy lived in the dorm as well.

"Don't worry. You arrived here safe and sound, after all." The boy waved his hand, smiling gently at Minato. "But be that as it may, I don't have much time to continue with. So, if I could ask you to sign this for me ..." with a wave of his hand, the pale boy had produced a red ledger with what appeared to be a black feather stuck inside of it. Still smiling, he handed it to Minato, who took it warily.

'nothing _feels _malicious …' The blue-haired teen thought, frowning as he turned the ledger over and over in his hands. There was nothing to suggest any curses or hexes worked into the red velvet of the ledger, and opening it showed a simple piece of paper. The black feather turned out to be a decoration, an old-fashioned ink pen tucked into it as if it were an inkwell. Drawing it, Minato sighed in relief to see that the ink was a deep blue in color, not blood red like he had been fearing. A bit less nervous, blue-grey eyes looked over the paper.

_-I, the undersigned, chose this path of my own free will, and I claim full responsibility for my actions henceforth.-_

Unnerved once again, Minato frowned; he had figured it was a dorm contract, but that wording … Figuring that he wouldn't get any answers unless he signed it, the blue-haired boy let out a sigh and put the pen against the line, hurriedly writing out the kanji for his name and blowing on it to make the ink dry faster.

Once he was certain it was dry, Minato turned to call to Hamuko – who had disappeared at some point, perhaps looking around for someone else awake- and summon her to sign the contract as well, only for it and the pen to vanish from his hands the second he looked away. Startled, he turned to look, and saw that it was once again in the pale boy's hand.

"Your sister's contract was signed long ago." He said, voice still friendly. "Besides, she is responsible for her own actions; there's no reason for her to be just as responsible for your actions as well." Before Minato could ask what on earth he meant, the boy gave him an eery smile and lifted the ledger so it covered his left eye, mirroring Minato. "Time waits for no one; you can't cover your eye and plug your ears to block it." He said, voice ominous. "I look forward to seeing you in the coming year, when there's clouds over the moon."

Before Minato could form any sort of retort, the boy vanished into the shadows behind him.

Shivering, Minato turned around again, and opened his mouth again to call for Hamuko; how his auburn sister could vanish so thoroughly, he did not know.

"WHO'S THERE!?"

The shout actually wrung a frightened yelp out of Minato, who turned and stared at where the shout had come from. Standing about twenty feet away from him, near what his eyes thought was a staircase, was a teenage girl. The dim lighting kept most of her figure indistinguishable, but he was able to make out a pair of wide, hazel eyes, and a bright red armband around her left arm. She stood there for a moment longer before speaking again. "H – how are you …?!" she stammered, stepping closer as her face suddenly hardened. "Don't tell me …!"

Her hand reached for something on her thigh, but whatever it was, she never grabbed it.

Hamuko lunging at her from the left, backpack discarded and wooden naginata in hand, made sure of it.

Minato watched as the new girl let out a frightened shriek, dropping instantly from the unexpected tackle and landing on the floor with a loud thud. Hamuko didn't seem to feel like taking a risk, because she placed a foot into the other girl's gut and swung the wooden naginata down to press it against the newcomer's neck. "Who are you," the auburn demanded, ruby eyes flashing, "and _why do you have a gun!?" _Minato paled as he heard that.

'Well, that explains what she was reaching for on her thigh.'

The girl Hamuko had pinned seemed too stunned to answer, her already wide eyes even wider in shock. Minato watched her mouth open and close for a few seconds, as if attempting to formulate a response, but no sound came out. About ready to tell Hamuko that she should most likely get off of the other girl, Minato looked up as the sound of footsteps racing down the stairs echoed onto the first floor.

Not long after, a third girl had arrived, alarm written all over her tense face as she took in the scene before her. Hamuko and her captive both turned to look, the auburn not moving her naginata in the slightest. "... I see that you jumped to conclusions again, Takeba." The newcomer said with a sigh, elegant voice making the pinned girl flinch slightly. Turning to Hamuko, the third girl nodded. "Impressive reflexes, but I must ask you let Takeba up; it would be hard for her to speak with you holding her at bay like you are."

Hamuko studied the new girl for a long moment before nodding, removing the naginata and her foot before kneeling and offering the 'Takeba' girl a hand back up. As she helped the other girl back to her feet, the power returned, allowing Minato to finally see the two newcomers in detail as he walked closer.

'Takeba' was a fraction shorter than Hamuko, and thinner, wearing a pink cardigan over a short skirt – a glimpse of black bike shorts poked out from beneath the hem – with black knee-high socks and loafers. Pink earrings and a white heart choker accented her outfit as she raised a shaky hand to brush her brown hair out of her face. The girl who had arrived later was taller than both of the other girls by a couple inches, dressed in a no-nonsense white blouse and charcoal skirt. Her curly hair was scarlet, one curl stubbornly falling over her left shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking the other three teenagers over.

Satisfied by what she saw after a moment, the redhead nodded. "I was starting to get concerned when you two didn't arrive earlier in the evening." She said with a smile, scarlet eyes softening. The brunet girl seemed confused, looking between everyone, making the redhead turn to her. "These are the Arisatos, Takeba; I informed you a few day ago that they would be arriving here today."

'Takeba' jerked, but nodded. "Y – yeah, I remember ..." she scowled, clasping her hands behind her back. "I just didn't expect them to … well … I didn't get a good look at the images you showed me." The admittance was quiet, but the redhead decided that it wouldn't be worth the effort to scold the other girl more.

Deciding that things wouldn't get anywhere unless either he or Hamuko spoke up, Minato coughed into his fist. When he was sure he had the attention of the two strangers, he offered them a quiet smile. "Sorry about arriving so late; there were a lot of delays on the train ride here." He apologized, blue-grey eyes softening. "I'm Arisato Minato, and this is my twin sister Hamuko." Hamuko gave a polite bow at that.

"Sorry about knocking you over like that." She said to the brunet girl, rubbing the back of her neck. To her surprise and mild relief, the other girl shrugged it off with a wave of her hand.

"I'm just glad that wasn't a live naginata." She said with a laugh. "I don't see someone pull off that tackle often either; Akemi-senpai'd be impressed." Giving a bow in return, the brunet offered a shy smile. "I'm Takeba Yukari; I'm a second year like you two."

"And I am Kirijo Mitsuru, a senior." The redhead introduced herself, making Minato arch an eyebrow. The Kirijo Group was a well-known electronics corporation, so what was the owner's daughter doing in such a remote dorm? Mitsuru didn't seem to notice, because she looked at the time with a frown. "But I'm afraid that a tour will have to wait; school begins tomorrow, so we best all retire to bed." Turning to Yukari, the redhead nodded. "Takeba, could you please show Arisato-kun to his room? I need to speak with his sister about something."

"Oh … okay." Yukari nodded and turned to Minato, offering him a shaky smile. "Well, let's go …" Minato nodded, shifting his backpack as he followed Yukari up the stairs, accepting the room key Mitsuru handed him as he passed her.

He and Yukari didn't say much as they went up to the second floor, Yukari leading him down the right hand hallway. Stopping at a door on the very end, she offered him a smile. "Well, here it is; should be easy to remember, being right at the end of the hall." The brunet let out a light laugh, hazel eyes softening a bit as she propped a hand on her hip. "... I'm sorry about spooking you earlier." She said after a moment, looking to the side.

"It's fine." Minato reassured her. "I just hope Hamuko didn't bruise you; she's always been the type to play rough." He said with a laugh before looking around. "... I'm not the only guy in this dorm, am I?" He asked, nervous.

"Oh, no, there's another guy; he's already asleep though." Yukari reassured him. "He's on the school's boxing team, so he went to bed early." Minato nodded in understanding, looking around. "... Hey …" The brunet's voice made him turn back to her, curious. "On your way here … was everything alright?"

Minato paused, not knowing how to answer that. On one hand, she seemed to be aware of … whatever the hell was going on. On the other, he might have been hallucinating things, especially that coffin he ran into … Offering Yukari a smile, Minato went to reply, only for a colossal yawn to leave him instead.

Yukari laughed at that, grinning at him when his face tuned pink. "Yeah, I think you're fine." She admitted, relaxing. "Well, go get some sleep; I'll be seeing you tomorrow in school!" Before Minato could object, she had darted off and headed upstairs.

Sighing and shaking his head, minato entered his room, smiling in relief to see the rest of his things already there. Someone had gone ahead and unpacked his pajamas, laying them out on the bed. 'I was half-expecting a futon, honestly.' Minato thought to himself as he gladly shed his backpack and clothes, flopping onto the covers in nothing more than his boxers. 'changing's too troublesome …' he thought as he slipped away into slumber, squirming up to the pillow before completely blacking out.

* * *

><p>On the first floor, Mitsuru frowned before turning to Hamuko. Before the auburn could blink, the taller girl had drawn a gun from the holster at her waist and pressed it against Hamuko's forehead, scarlet eyes meeting ruby. "I'm honestly impressed … his Potential somehow managed to block out yours, but yours is equally massive ..." Mitsuru began, voice even.<p>

"That's just the way big brothers are; always looking out for the younger ones." Hamuko replied, equally casual despite the grip on her naginata. "Minato-nii's really bad; he's the only boy out of three, and the oldest. Naoto and I have had fits trying to make him relax." Frowning after a moment, the auburn reached up and pushed the gun away from her forehead. "Takeba-chan's the same way, isn't she? If I hadn't tackled her ..."

"Yes, she would have tried to attack." Mitsuru nodded, removing the gun and returning it to the holster. "But even then, you moved too fluidly for this to be the first time for you." Tilting her head, the redhead frowned for a moment before smiling. "Ah … I see; how long has _she _been active?"

"About ten years." Hamuko replied, running her fingers over the XXII pins in her hair. "She woke up the night of the accident that took my parents; one of _them _went after Naoto, and she was only three at the time. I wasn't going to let them get my little sister." At her words, Mitsuru seemed to flinch, folding her arms.

"I … see. And you haven't once been attacked?"

Hamuko offered her a wry smile. "That's a perk to being the granddaughter of the active Raidou Kuzunoha; the moment I told him I had accidentally involved myself in supernatural shenanigans, he started training me. Any attempts from _them _to come after me were handled by swift application of boot to the head … demon summoner style."

Mitsuru let out a small laugh at that. "Fair enough." Growing serious again, she frowned. "Then, if you two are twins, that means your brother ..."

"Yeah, he's probably got one too. He's just such a heavy sleeper that he's never been conscious for the time paradox before now." Leaning on her naginata, Hamuko let out a tired sigh. "Sorry, but can we continue this talk after school? I want to get some sleep." Mitsuru gave a small nod, walking over and gabbing the auburn's backpack.

"That's quite alright." She said with a soft smile. "I simply wished to ask you when you had awakened. It's … nice to know I wasn't the only one who's experienced it for such a long amount of time."

"I know what you mean there." Hamuko admitted with a sigh as they headed up the steps. "Naoto was so small, she doesn't recall much of anything. And like I said, Minato-nii's … well, he sleeps like the dead." Mitsuru let out another chuckle, handing over a small key as they began to walk up the stairs to the third floor.

"Well, that could prove to be a problem ..." The redhead admitted with a sigh, scarlet eyes glancing around the hallway. "But … I would like to speak with you more about your experiences at a later date, if that's alright with you Arisato-san." Hamuko smiled and waved it off, nodding.

"Just wait until I'm lucid enough to think straight, alright Mitsuru-senpai?" She said with a laugh. "Also, Hamuko-chan or Hamuko-san, please. If you say Arisato-san around me and minato, we'll both turn." Seeing the older girl's bemused look, she winked. "It's a sibling thing that gets even worse with twins."

"Fair enough, Ar-Hamuko-san." Mitsuru said with a chuckle as they reached the third floor. "It might take me a while to adjust to something so informal, though. I apologize in advance." Looking down the hallway, the redhead offered Hamuko her backpack once more. "Here; your room is the one at the end of the hall. Mine is here, and Takeba is next door to you." She explained as the younger girl took her bag. "Do you have anything to ask?"

"Yeah, actually." Hamuko nodded, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. "... Do you know what that black horse with a fire mane is? I caught glimpses of it on the run here." The question seemed to shock Mitsuru, her scarlet eyes widening a fraction.

"Did he really …?" She mumbled, voice too quiet for Hamuko to understand. Shaking her head, the older girl offered her a small smile. "Yes, I know of the horse, and its origins. Don't worry; as far as apparitions in that time go, its actually benevolent. I imagine it was just making sure that you and your brother weren't overwhelmed."

"Would explain why it looked in the window when we got inside." Hamuko admitted with a yawn. "But as long as its friendly, I won't worry; goodnight Mitsuru-senpai, seeya tomorrow." Turning with a wave, the auburn headed for the farthest door, slipping inside after a few seconds of fighting with the key. Mitsuru watched her with a relieved smile, shaking her head before entering her own room.

"Why am I not surprised he would do something like that?" she muttered with a shake of her head. "Even when he says he's not doing anything, he's still keeping both eyes open … I'll have to talk to him at a later date, once we find out if Arisato-san would be a wise choice to add to our group. For now, however … sleep."

Mitsuru snapped the door shut behind her as she tugged off her own scarlet armband, brain shifting gears to the school year ahead.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Translation Note: <strong>The fic's title, "月に叢雲華に風", is a more old-fashioned Japanese idiom for "Good time doesn't last long." The literal translation is "Clouds over the Moon, and Wind over the Flowers", but both that and the romanji translation (Tsuki ni wa murakumo hana ni wa kaze) were too wordy for me to use as a title when the kanji works just as well for a title. _

* * *

><p><strong><em>Tori's Notes: <em>**_And here I am with another p3p fic, this time throwing both twins into the plot from the word go. There's some differences right away, but this'll be sticking a bit closer to canon than some of my other works. Hamuko already having a Persona - which will be elaborated on in an upcoming chapter - is one of ... *thinks* three really big changes I'm doing with this story. The other two you'll have to wait and find out about. _

_As for Hamuko tackling Yukari; she was in the kitchen/dining area when the other girl arrived on the first floor, giving her a better shot of the Evoker against Yukari's leg. If Yukari hadn't gone to draw the thing, Hamuko wouldn't have tackled her. (She was also calm about Mitsuru putting her Evoker against her head because she had started to figure out they were similar.) _

_Until next time, seeya! Got a week and a half left of this term, will try and get to work on the current chapter of VD soon. _


	2. Settling In

Yukari sighed as she stared at the door in front of her; Mitsuru had requested that she wake the Arisato twins up and escort them to the faculty office that morning, stating that she had things related to the Kirijo group to take care of this morning. 'I wonder if it's just payback for me nearly pulling an Evoker on a new kid like that.' Yukari thought to herself as she knocked, trying to see if that would rouse the boy. When no response came, she knocked harder. "H-hey, Arisato-kun? You up?" She called out.

No response.

Letting out an annoyed noise, Yukari dug out the spare key Mitsuru had given her and unlocked the door, shoving it open. "Hey, sleepy but, get uuuUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Turning scarlet when she realized her mistake, Yukari whirled around, face red; Minato was not only still asleep, but was spread eagle over his bedsheets … in nothing but his boxers.

To her great shock when she looked again, the shriek didn't wake Minato up, but there was movement from upstairs. A minute or so later, Hamuko had appeared beside her, auburn hair mussed as she stood there in bunny-covered pjs and a purple dragon plush in one arm. Tired ruby eyes blinked as they looked between the flustered Yukari and the sound asleep Minato. "... I'm sorry." She mumbled with a yawn. "I would've warned you if you'd gotten me up first; he does this a lot." Nodding in understanding, Yukari watched as Hamuko walked into the room, stopping at her brother's bed.

Only to blink in shock as the auburn's method of waking her brother up involved tickling his ribs.

Minato was up with a yelp, face flushed as he glared at his twin. "What?"

"Gotta get to school early; faculty stuff I guess." Hamuko replied, rolling her eyes. "Next time you decide to sleep in just shorts, at least get under the blanket. Goofy exhibitionist." The girl giggled as she dodged the pillow Minato tried to throw at her, shaking her head. "Get dressed, alright? Meet you downstairs." Not giving Minato a chance to respond, Hamuko was out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Turning to Yukari, the auburn gave her a wry grin. "Sorry about that, he does that a lot." Hamuko admitted, patting Yukari on the shoulder. "I'll go get dressed, then." Still pink in the face, Yukari nodded, going to open her mouth in agreement when something caught her eye.

"... How did you get that scar?"

It was a faint one, a thin line a couple centimeters above Hamuko's left ear where hair refused to grow. It was about as long as Yukari's little finger, but only about as wide as a flat arrowhead. Hamuko flinched briefly, but a smile had crossed her face a second later. "I got it a long time ago; doesn't hurt, but it's easier to cover up than anything else." Giggling, the other girl waved and trotted upstairs, not giving Yukari time to formulate a reply.

Sighing, Yukari headed downstairs to wait, hearing the coffee maker go off. Taking a sip of the drink after adding a bit of creamer, the brunet girl found herself thinking about what all she had read in the twin's files. Mitsuru had handed her a copy, and while there wasn't much detail about what they had done schooling-wise for the past ten years, the files had clearly stated that their parents were deceased. They had been taken in by their maternal grandfather, and had a younger sister who would starting her second year of junior high.

Yukari shook her head, a wry smile on her face. She had been expecting a pair of introverted twins, almost like the creepy identical twins from a certain horror movie that had been on television one night – and a movie that she had quickly changed away from after that scene – and that they would be virtually impossible to talk to. So far, the reality was very different; Hamuko was a friendly, chatty person, and Minato seemed to be at least friendly despite his tired state.

'I … almost wonder if it would be okay to let my guard down …' The brunet thought to herself, surprised at how happy the thought made her. 'Of course … the senpai will probably want to make sure that they're _safe_... Although if Hamuko-san isn't I'll eat my own quiver of arrows.' Shaking her head as she heard steps coming downstairs, Yukari relaxed to see that it was Hamuko; she felt it would be awkward if Minato had arrived first. "Heh, you get dressed fast."

"Naoto and I had to learn how to dress fast to beat Minato to the breakfast table." Hamuko said with a laugh, walking over as she pulled her wavy auburn hair into a high ponytail. The XXII hairpins from before were now pinning up hair over where Yukari had seen the scar, obscuring it completely from view. "Don't let his skinny looks fool you; that boy eats like a starved wolf."

Yukari let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You two are weird." She said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "But I'm glad you're at least friendly … so far. Haven't spent much time around your twin yet."

"Ah, he's … pretty quiet." Hamuko offered with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's been that way our entire lives; Mom and Dad used to say that I talked too much and he talked too little, and that Naoto was the perfect midpoint." Yukari laughed with Hamuko at that, Minato walking downstairs to the noise as he chewed on a cereal bar.

"So … why exactly did we have to wake up so early?" He asked as he walked over, trying once again in vain to flip his bangs out of his face. The blue locks fell back into place defiantly, making him scowl; he needed to figure out _something _to get his hair in line …

"You two still need to double-check the paperwork that's in at the faculty office, and find out what room you guys are in." Yukari gave a nod, leading the way out the dorm. "Plus, well, I wanted to show you guys a quicker way to the monorail station than you probably took last night." Hamuko let out a weak laugh, not wanting to admit that they had sprinted all the way there and hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going as it was.

"Well, let's get going then, before we wind up late for 'anime school'." Minato commented with a wry chuckle, heading out the door as he produced another cereal bar from who knows where. Yukari blinked but sped up to walk with him, Hamuko taking up the rear.

* * *

><p>The train ride to Port Island proper, along with the Gekkoukan camups – Yukari had explained the school went from grade school through high school – was lively; around them were several other students that made Hamuko look around while Minato and Yukari made idle chat. From her seat, she could see a teal-haired girl sitting by herself as she read a book, a group of four girls standing nearby and chatting loudly– two of which boasted a patch on their school bags shaped like a bow and arrow like Yukari's, while the youngest carried a violin case in her hands – and at the far end of the car, a pair of boys talking quietly amongst themselves. While she couldn't hear them, Hamuko took note of the fact that the one closer to her had silver hair, and tried to lean over to get a better look of his companion when Yukari patted her shoulder, making the auburn look at her.<p>

"We've just hit the best part of the train ride." Yukari said with a smile, nodding to the window behind them. "Go on, look; we're gliding out over the ocean!" Blinking at one another, the twins looked, Minato flinching briefly at the bright flash of light off of the water. The view was, however, stunning; Iwatodai spread out over the coast with a series of bright skyscrapers, boats floating in and out of the harbor, the fuzzy outline of a suspension bridge just barely visible as they continued on to the school.

"I … Wow ..." Minato felt his breath leave him, smiling internally. The countryside around Inaba was nice, yes, but the _ocean _…

A flash of pain went through him, and for a second, the beautiful view in front of him was gone. In its place was an ocean of scarlet, the sky a sickly color overhead as a large, golden moon hung low over the bridge.

The mental image was gone in the next second, making Minato pause; what the hell was that?

Looking towards Yukari and Hamuko, he couldn't help but smile a fraction. Hamuko was beaming, ruby eyes dancing as the water reflected in her gaze; leave it to her to remain so cheerful and upbeat about everything, even something as tentative as attending a new school for the first time since they were kids.

Yukari, however, seemed far more peaceful than he'd ever seen her before. Granted, he had only known the brunet girl for all of two hours total, but there was something that seemed … well, calm. Like the water held a power over her to calm her nerves. Smiling to himself, Minato continued to stare out at the ocean as Hamuko and Yukari continued to talk with one another for the remainder of the ride.

Upon reaching the campus itself, the twins stared once more; Yukari's description of the place barely did it any justice. The high school building alone was a glorious structure of polished steel and glass, almost glowing in the spring sunlight. Cherry and apple trees in full bloom lined the main walkway up to the building, Small groups of students lined the walkway, talking to one another as they all began to migrate towards the entrance at a snail's pace. Yukari waved to some of her friends, the dark-haired girl Hamuko had spotted on the train slowing to talk with her.

"We have a quick archery meeting before the assembly, kouhai." The girl addressed Yukari, odd violet eyes observant as she looked the twins over. "Oh, are you two new?"

"Yup; I was asked to show them to the faculty room real quick, Akemi-senpai." Yukari nodded, grinning. "I'll be at the archery field when that's taken care of, though." The newly named senior gave a nod as she walked off, waving to Yukari as she sped up to reunite with her group of friends. "That was Akemi-senpai; she's the Captain of the archery club." Yukari explained, voice carrying a small laugh. "Sorry if she freaked you out."

"The school has an archery club?" Hamuko's eyes brightened, a small burst of hope for a naginata club.

"Sure does!" Yukari gave a laugh. "There's a whole bunch of 'phys ed' clubs here, including swim club, kendo, tennis, volleyball, archery, naginata -" The brunet let out a louder series of laughs at the way Hamuko cheered at that. "Well, I guess I'll have to let you know when the clubs are accepting new members then!" She said, patting Hamuko on the back before turning to Minato. "What about you?"

Minato gave a weak laugh. "I've never been one for physical activity like that." He admitted with a weak chuckle. "I'm more of the cultural club type of guy; Hamuko has enough energy for an army."

"Fair enough." Yukari shook her head as she lead the way into the school, stopping at the shoe lockers. "Well, here we are, Gekkoukan High school." She said with a laugh as the three of them swapped out their shoes. "I'll run you to the faculty office so you can talk with Toriumi-sensei, but I'll have to jet after that; the archery club meeting's probably going to be a rundown of our scheduled matches and such."

"Gotcha." Minato nodded as he stood up, biting back a yawn as he hefted his school bag over one shoulder. "Lead the way, Yukari-san." He offered the brunet girl a tired smile, almost wanting to ask what class she was in. he decided against it; the question was creepy even to him. Hamuko gave a contented hum soon after, ruby eyes dancing as Yukari laughed and led them down a hallway to their left. Bypassing a teacher in an elaborate kabuto boisterously discussing the samurai era with a student holding a fan (judging from his hair and accent, he was a transfer student), the group of three stopped in front of a pair of double doors that lead to the Faculty office, Yukari knocking on them.

When a woman in her early thirties poked her head out, Yukari grinned and nodded to the twins. "Hey Toriumi-sensei! You're the one who needs to see these two, right?" She asked, to which the woman smiled and nodded. "Alright, here they are! I'd stay, but archery ..."

"Not a problem Takeba-san, go on and get going." The teacher chuckled with a friendly wave, inviting the twins into the office as Yukari bowed politely and darted off down the hall. Turning her attention to the twins, she smiled and propped one hand on her hip, the other holding a ledger full of paper. "Well, you two got here with plenty of time to spare." She said, voice every bit as friendly as her expression. "I'm Toriumi Isako, the Composition teacher and homeroom teacher for Classroom 2-F." She introduced herself, smiling. "I've got Minato-san for homeroom, so he'll be seeing a lot of me."

"And me, sensei?" Hamuko asked, tilting her head to one side.

"You're in 2-B, and your homeroom teacher is Ono, the history teacher." Toriumi gave a nod. "He's a nice man, just … incredibly eccentric."

Hamuko thought for a moment before replying. "I can deal with eccentric." She uttered, voice a deadpan as her mind thought back to some of the things that had gone on back home in Inaba. Minato, whose thoughts went along the same lines, bit back an amused grin. Grinning herself, the auburn gave a polite bow. "Well, it's still a pleasure to meet you, Toriumi-sensei!"

"Likewise." Minato smiled and gave a polite bow with his sister, earning a laugh from the teacher.

"Well, you two are certainly well-mannered." Toriumi said with a laugh, looking over the ledger in her hands as the kabuto-wearing teacher entered the classroom. "Ah, there you are." She commented, shaking her head at the newcomer.

"Sorry, I was doing the paperwork check with the foreign exchange student in my class." Ono's voice seemed to have a permanent chuckle to it, accenting the broad smile on his face as he took some of the paperwork from Toriumi. Thanking her with a nod, he turned to look at the twins, giving Hamuko a broad smile. "Well, good day to you, young miss! I'm certain Toriumi-kouhai informed you already, but I'll be your homeroom teacher for this upcoming year."

The auburn-haired girl gave a happy giggles as she nodded and bowed. "Here's hoping it's a fun year, sensei!" Hamuko chirruped, earning another happy laugh from the male teacher.

"Haha, there's the spirit! I'm certain other classmates could follow your example." Ono said with a chuckle, reading over the paperwork in his hands. Toriumi was doing the same beside him, Minato's paperwork in hand. "Hmm … ten years of homeschool, a good hand with a naginata? Impressive!" he seemed to want to say more on the topic, but was silenced by Toriumi stepping on his foot.

"Yes, yes, that is impressive. You can lavish her with samurai stories at a later time." She muttered, making Minato snigger. The female teacher didn't seem to hear him as she went back to reading over the files, muttering what she had read aloud to herself. At one point, however, she stopped and let out a wince. Ono seemed to have reached it as well, judging by the look he was giving Hamuko.

Deciding to reassure the teachers, Minato gave them both a sad smile. "It's … alright. We've gotten past that, even though it hurts. Life moved on." Hamuko gave a nod in agreement, ruby eyes softening. "Besides, the dead don't come back no matter how much you mourn them."

"That's mature of you two." Toriumi seemed legitimately impressed, nodding her head as she placed the ledger on her desk. "Now, we should get you two to the classes for introductions before the welcome ceremony starts."

"One quick thing, however." Ono spoke up, still holding the paperwork in his hands. "Young miss, why does the photograph of you from grade school show you with blue eyes?"

"If I knew myself, I would tell you." Hamuko gave the teacher a bitter smile. "The best guess anyone has been able to come up with was a side-effect of the accident that took Mom and Dad; I was protecting my little sister from debris and got hit on the left temple." Tapping her finger to her barrets, the auburn shrugged. "I can still see perfectly fine, so I've just never bothered to correct it."

"Haha, fair enough!" Ono gave a nod, tucking the paper into a briefcase by his feet. "But yes, let us make haste to the classroom. I don't mean to be rude, but the welcome ceremony drags on something fierce." Toriumi groaned in agreement, opening the door out of the faculty room.

The twins gave one another a fearful look.

* * *

><p>Lunchtime had finally rolled around, and Minato let out another yawn after he returned from the school store with the largest bento he could purchase. Sliding into his classroom, the blue-haired teen let out a relieved noise as he saw how empty the classroom had become. 'If I eat fast enough, maybe I can take a nap,' he thought to himself with a smile, sitting down at his desk. He had been amused to see Yukari was in his class as well, making the brunet girl laugh.<p>

Breaking his chopsticks, Minato was about to dig into the food when a shadow fell over his desk, making him look up with a piece of soba half-hanging out of his mouth. A new student stood there, grinning at him; it was a boy a handful of inches taller than him, wearing a blue button-down shirt under his blazer instead of the standard one, no neck tie, and a baseball cap on his head. The start of a goatee covered his chin, and his eye color was impossible to tell in the lighting.

"S'up?" The other boy asked, still grinning as he leaned in closer. Minato leaned back in kind, taking his bento with him.

"Personal space, please?" He asked, swallowing the piece of soba that was in his mouth. He didn't think the other boy was there to start a fight, but he had come out of nowhere and caught him off guard. Minato wasn't fond of that sort of thing at all. Fortunately, the other boy seemed to catch it, because he gave a laugh and plopped down in the seat in front of him.

"Haha, sorry 'bout that." The capped teen said with a grin, leaning forward and resting his arms on the back of the chair. "I was tryin to get your attention when you first walked in here, but you were pretty zoned out. I wanted to see how you were handling your first day here as the new kid." The easy grin made Minato relax a bit, making eye contact. "Name's Iori Junpei, by the way. Transferred here in eighth grade."

"Arisato Minato." Minato gave a small smile back, still eating his food. Junpei seemed friendly at the least, even if he had gotten a touch too close at first. 'Then again, I didn't really notice anyone else. If he was trying to get my attention, I must have been really zoned out.' About ready to open his mouth to say something, Minato jumped as the door opened.

"Niichan, did you get food?" Hamuko had appeared in the doorway, grinning around a stick of pocky in her mouth. The auburn nodded at the sight of her brother's bento, and then grinned at the by sitting in front of him. "So! Made a new friend already, Minato?" She teased, skipping over and sitting on the desk besides her brother. Turning to Junpei, she grinned and offered him a hand. "Arisato Hamuko, at your service! I hope my goofy brother isn't too rude."

"No offense, but you two look nothin' like siblings." Junpei said with a laugh as he shook Hamuko's hand.

"Bah, we get that a lot." Hamuko waved it off with a grin. "Got the auburn hair from my grandmama. The blue's from grandpapa's side of the family, and why it's dominant? Nobody knows. It just kinda is."

"If this were a video game, it'd be 'Protagonist Syndrome'." Minato muttered from his seat, done with the boxed lunch. Junpei and Hamuko both burst out laughing, making Minato smile as the talk shifted to discussions on Pocket Monsters. Looking up, he smiled and waved at Yukari when she entered, catching the brunet's attention. "Hey Yukari-san, I was wondering where you vanished to for lunch." The blue-haired teen said with a chuckle, making Hamuko and Junpei stop talki ng long enough to greet the brunet girl.

"Some of my friends wanted to talk with me over lunch." Yukari explained, standing beside Hamuko as she waved to Junpei. "It's kinda weird that most of us are in the same class, though ..." Pausing, she turned to Hamuko. "I'm really surprised you aren't in Toriumi's class. Where did you get stuck, Ekoda-sensei's homeroom?" Minato noted the way Yukari's voice went bitter at the mention of the teacher, making him wonder if there was something odd; from what he recalled of the man's class, he was simply very dull.

Hamuko just took it in stide. "Nope! I have Ono-sensei for my homeroom." She beamed, giggling. "I actually sit next to someone in archery club. Kaname-san, actually."

"I was wondering what class Kana-chan got in." Yukari nodded. "She's a nice girl, easy to make friends with her. Her pet ferret stinks though." Shaking her head, Yukari turned her gaze to Junpei. "So what brought you over to talk with Minato-san? I hope there's no stupid rumors going around …."

"Nah, don't sweat it, Yuka-tan." Junpei chuckled, leaning back in his impromptu seat. "Just came over to say 'hi' and be a nice guy. Can't fault me for that, can ya?" Yukari just shook her head in response, although Minato noted the quick scowl that flashed over the nickname.

"Well, fair enough ..." The brunet girl shook her head with a sigh before turning to Hamuko. "Hey, if you want, Kana-chan and I can show you around Paulownia Mall. As a sort of welcome to the group sort of outing."

"Sure!" Hamuko beamed up at the girl, grinning. "That sounds like fun, and Minato-nii always dreads going shopping with me."

"You go absolutely bananas whenever we pass a store carrying _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon." _Minato deadpanned. "Can you honestly blame me for not wanting to stand around while you geek?"

"And you do the same thing in a bookstore." Hamuko retorted, sticking her tongue out at her twin. Junpei and Yukari both seemed amused, if the way the cap-wearing teen laughed.

"Well, if the girls are gonna go out, why don't I show you around and treat you to Hagakure?" Turning back to Minato as he spoke, Junpei offered the other boy an easy grin. Glancing at his twin, Minato let out a quiet sigh; adjusting to such a new environment was rough, and he wanted to go back to the dorm and nap, but he _supposed _it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to take a one-on-one tour of Iwatodai. Learning the layout of the city would be a bonus too.

"Alright, sounds good." Minato said with a chuckle.

Hamuko grinned, hopping off of her seat. "Just stick to one bowl, Minato-nii! Don't wanna give Junpei-kun here a heart attack over how much you can eat!" Minato retorted by sticking his tongue out at his sister as she darted off, the bell signifying the end of the lunch period cutting off any form of conversation.

"... Should I be worried?" Junpei gave Minato a look, arching an eyebrow.

"Maybe; I'm not too hungry today though, so don't feel obligated to treat me." Minato gave a smile. "In fact, I could do the treating instead; think of it as thanks for showing me around the city."

"Well, as tempting as that _is, _I feel like that'd be kinda unfair." Junpei shook his head. "Why don't we decide to call it even and split the bill? You pay for mine, I pay for yours, that sorta thing." Minato nodded his head in agreement, offering his hand to shake on the matter. Yukari shook her head in what appeared to be amusement as she watched.

"You boys and your food, I swear." She chuckled as the rest of the class filed in. "I guess the saying of 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' is more true than I thought."

Minato just offered her a weak chuckle in response, shrugging his shoulders.

* * *

><p>Nighttime had fallen, and Mitsuru found herself alone in the dorm lounge as she skimmed through the paper while her thoughts went over what she knew of the two potential 'recruits'.<p>

Minato had returned first out of the underclassmen, looking a touch worn out, but content. When she had asked him why, he had admitted that he was easily drained around large groups of people, but he'd be fine with some time to himself. The redhead senior had nodded, pointing him in the direction of the shower if he wanted one, and watched him head up the stairs. 'A blue-haired introvert?' she thought with a chuckle. 'If I didn't know better, I'd say that was planned by some sort of higher power.'

The thought had only been reenforced when Hamuko and Yukari had arrived together, talking loudly as they bade goodbye to one of Yukari's friend's from archery club. The auburn had waved to Mitsuru upon spotting her, calling out a greeting as she and Yukari had carried several bags up to their rooms; Mitsuru could have sworn she spotted a large plush poking out of one of the bags. To see the girl so happily adjusted to a group not even a full day after relocating spoke volumes of her adaptability, let alone her personable nature.

It wasn't to say Mitsuru thought Minato wasn't personable, it was simply that he didn't fare well in large groups of people. His sister, however, reveled in it.

"And here I thought twins being like night and day was reserved for identical twins." She mused aloud with a chuckle, folding her paper at the sound of footsteps walking down the stairs. Looking up revealed a new student; a tall boy with short cropped silver hair, wearing a red sweater over his uniform shirt and the black slacks. He was busy fiddling with a pair of leather gloves as he reached the first floor, stopping and grinning when he spotted Mitsuru. "Heading out, Akihiko?" She asked as he approached her.

"Yeah, was planning on it." Akihiko nodded, gesturing at her paper. "You probably saw the same article I did; figured it would be a safe bet for me to try and do a run. I'd take Takeba, but you said you wanted to wait until she was comfortable with everything, right?"

Nodding, Mitsuru let out another sigh. "... I'd almost be tempted to say take Hamuko-san." She admitted, making Akihiko look at her sharply.

"Wait, are you saying she's …?" The silver-haired teen tapered off as Mitsuru nodded her head in confirmation. A feral grin threatened to split his face in half at that, and he chuckled. "Wow, impressive. Maybe it's just easier to wake up the Potential in women? Not that it's a bad thing, really," He held up his hands to placate the now glaring Mitsuru, "It's just that it makes some amount of sense. You tend to think and plan more often than us guys; we just prefer running up and punching things in the stomach."

Placated, the redhead gave a nod. "That might be the case; however … I haven't talked to her about joining yet. But she did confirm one thing." Putting her paper to the side, Mitsuru's scarlet eyes sharpened in thought. "Her Potential has been active for the past decade, Akihiko. I think she's been summoning even longer than I have."

Akihiko let out a low whistle at that. "Damn … that's saying a lot, really. Didn't her file say she was related to the current Raidou?"

"His eldest granddaughter, yes."

"That might be part of it; summoning supernatural creatures is just in her blood." Standing up and stretching, the silver-haired senior gave Mitsuru another grin. "But yes, I'll go ahead and go on patrol then; anything about the Lost I should look out for?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "No, nothing about the Lost." A wry smile graced her lips. "However, Hamuko-san _did _bring up something she noticed last night. Apparently a certain horse was up and about, making sure she and her brother made it to the dorm safe and sound. She described it as 'black with a fiery mane'."

Akihiko froze where he stood, staring, before a loud laugh left him. "Haha, I should have expected him to do something like that!" He shook his head as he spoke, heading to the door. "Want me to try and track him down to talk with? I think the newcomers might help with his issues."

"Only if you run into him while walking." Mitsuru nodded. "I'd rather not have you two causing a ruckus if I can avoid it." Waiting until Akihiko nodded in understanding, Mitsuru offered him a smile. "I'm worried about him too, Akihiko, but the three of us are so stubborn, it might take a bit more push than the two of us can manage right now."

"Fair enough." Sighing, the silver-haired male shook his head. "I'll head out then; gotta make sure _they _know who's in charge around here, after all." Waving at Mitsuru again, Akihiko left, prompting a heavy sigh from the redhead.

"Back on your one-track mind, Akihiko?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "... But hopefully you're right; maybe they can help him out ..." Picking up her newspaper again, Mitsuru frowned a bit as she looked towards a small picture that rested in a bookshelf. It showed her and Akihiko, along with a second boy, back in their first year of high school. "It's not really the same without both of you knuckleheads, after all."

Unbeknownst to Mitsuru, Hamuko shifted from her spot on the stairs, an empty glass in her hands. She had meant to come downstairs and get a drink of water, following the strange boy – she had wanted to introduce herself, but had quieted herself when he had started taking to Mitsuru – but had instead sat there on the steps and eavesdropped.

Now her curiosity was piqued; who _were _they talking about? They seemed to know where the horse from the night before had come from, but what did they mean by 'issues'? Had something happened to the summoner that made it hard for him – they referred to the missing summoner as a 'he', after all – to aid them? The auburn frowned, biting her lower lip at the mystery in front of her. If there was one thing she had in common with her siblings, it was the need to solve mysteries.

This mysterious male summoner was one, even if he was tied up in the time paradox as well.

Feeling a force stir at the back of her brain, Hamuko tilted her head to one side as she began to creep back up the stairs. 'What now, Eurydice?' She asked, knowing the presence wouldn't respond vocally. Instead, a feeling of unease filled her from where the summon rested, making Hamuko look out a window at the nearly full moon. She frowned at it, ruby eyes narrowing.

Something **big **was coming, but what?

* * *

><p><strong><em>Tori's Notes: <em>**_Here's the second chapter. Again, not too much to comment on, barring a quick reasoning why Hamuko isn't in Ekoda's class. _

_Simply put, she'd derail things a bit too much if she was in there, and as annoyed as I am with the Fuuka subplot, it's tied into the story proper. I'll be working with it for things to flow better. _

_Plus Ono-sensei needs some love. _


	3. Rising Current

If there was one thing Hamuko had never expected to happen, it was to have a homeroom teacher reading from the battered copy of the _Kokiji _that was lovingly kept in a desk drawer. It was interesting, at the least, and listening to Ono-sensei tell the story of the White Hare of Inaba to the few students who showed up early helped distract her, at least on some level, from the unsettled feeling that radiated off of Eurydice.

Glancing to her left, the auburn giggled. The foreign exchange student Bebe, whose full name was impossible to pronounce, was sitting there with starry eyes, a silk fan decorated with gold butterflies held in one of hands as they supported his head. It was cute, in a way that reminded Hamuko of a puppy; she'd had to restrain herself from patting his head more than once already. Thankfully, the urge was somewhat dampened that day due to her thoughts being elsewhere.

Mainly on what she had overheard from her senpai.

She now recognized Akihiko as the silver-haired boy from the train the day before, which made Hamuko bite her pencil as the first class started. If what Mitsuru had mentioned to her two nights ago was any indication, he was like the two girls and Yukari-san, potentially Minato as well. 'Why gather all of us up in one dorm?' She thought, suspicious as part of her consciousness shifted to pay attention to class. 'And … maybe the Horseman is one of us too?'

Hamuko had decided that, until further information came to her about the nature of the skeleton horse – and if it was indeed being summoned by the mysterious 'him' Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-san spoke of – she would refer to it and it's mysterious summoner as the Horseman. 'but what could make something like Eurydice roam on it's own like that?' She wondered, momentarily pausing her thoughts to answer a question from Ono-sensei.

Biting back an amused smile at his complaints about mammoths as she sat down again, Hamuko watched as Kaname raised her hand. She found the light-haired girl sweet, if a bit naive at times. Judging from the wry smile on her face, she apparently had something planned. Thankfully, Hamuko didn't have long to wait to find out what, as the teacher spotted her raised hand and called her to stand.

Standing up, the short girl gave the teacher a sweet smile. "Is it true that mammoths were still alive while the Pyramids of Giza were being built?" The tone of her question was sweet, but Hamuko couldn't bite back the laugh at the mischievous look in her eyes. Ono-sensei's responding moaning and rambling about someone named Kimiko only made her laugh harder.

Kaname sat down after a moment, giggling. "Akemi-chan told me that trick. Apparently his younger sister's as interested in Egypt as he is in Samurai." She whispered to Hamuko, who just giggled more in response.

"I bet their household was interesting growing up." Shaking her head, the auburn smiled happily. That had been a good distraction from the nerves and deep plotting, something that Hamuko didn't fully want to become a habit. Naoto was the one who wanted to go into the police force when she was an adult, if not taking the title of Raidou from their grandfather. 'She'd be good at it too.' Hamuko thought with a smile as she went back to taking notes, doing her best to focus more on that than on the lingering feeling of nerves that radiated from Eurydice.

* * *

><p>After school had ended, Hamuko managed to catch her brother before he could get swept away; she wanted to take him to Chagall Cafe for coffee, and Minato willingly let his his twin drag him towards the mall. "well, you seem to have settled in a lot better than Grandfather thought." Minato commented as they sat down, picking up one of the menus handed to them. "... Really?" He deadpanned after reading one of the featured items. Seeing the confused look Hamuko gave him, her menu flipped to the back for various flavors of chocolate mochas, the blue-haired teen looked back at it and begin to read. "Pheromone tea; guaranteed to give you a boost to your charm with every cup."<p>

Like Minato had expected, Hamuko snorted and hit her forehead with the menu. "Really?" she whispered, voice full of laughter. "That's so friggen corny … Is that _seriously _what's written on there?"

"No, but that's the general vibe I'm getting from the flowery sales pitch." Minato replied, shaking his head and looking at the rest of the menu. "Calling it Pheromone Tea doesn't help. I really hope things here are edible … I'm almost scared to see what's in that." Hamuko gave a nod, still giggling.

"It explains why all the girls swoon over this place." She commented, red eyes dancing. "But yeah, you should avoid it Minato-nii; you have enough issues with girls stalking you as is~" Hamuko laughed, only to let out a playful yelp when Minato bopped her with his folded up menu. "Meanie~!"

"Are you six or sixteen?" The blue-haired teen shot back, sticking out his tongue as the waitress walked over. Thankfully, the woman was professional enough not to ask, and the two placed orders for their coffee. Minato leaned back in his seat while they waited, stretching as he did so. "So … what do you think of our dormmates?" He asked, brushing some of his bangs out of his face. "I've been able to talk with Yukari-san more since she's in my class. Very friendly, but seems unusually nervous about something …"

"From what I've heard and seen around school, she's pretty high on the popularity ladder." Hamuko replied with a shrug, putting her elbows on the table. Folding her hands and letting her chin rest on them, the auburn gave a shrug. "I bet there's a high chance rumors about her are quick to spread. She was a lot more relaxed when I was hanging out with her and the others after school yesterday."

"Good point." Minato admitted, wincing; that was something he would have to adjust to now that they weren't being homeschooled. "And Mitsuru-senpai … she seems rather distant for some reason. It's not that she thinks she's better than us – why would she be in a dorm if she thought that way? - but …"

"Her people skills are probably pretty bad." Hamuko admitted, looking around the cafe. "I imagine she's the stereotypical 'sheltered rich girl', at least in that aspect. Granted, haven't met her family yet, but I doubt she knew a lot of kids her age growing up."

"Would not surprise me at this rate." Minato let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Want to try and work on her, Hamuko? You're always the over-eager one when it comes to befriending people."

"And you just let them come to you, eh?" Hamuko responded with a giggle. Minato went to reply when their coffee arrived, making him focus on the delicious smell coming from the drinks. His twin happily thanked the woman as she took her mocha, inhaling a deep whiff of the aroma coming off of it. "Ooo, this smells so good~" She cooed, taking a sip, somehow _not _scalding her tongue on the hot liquid. Before Minato could ask how she managed that, the auburn let out a happy noise. "Yummy yummy~! I'm tasting cherries in here too!"

Minato just chuckled at his sister's childlike glee, swirling his drink while he waited for it to cool enough for him to try it. "Well, I take it you're sold on this place." He chuckled, blue-grey eyes dancing in amusement. Hamuko nodded with a contented hum, taking another drink of her tea. "... I will never understand how you can do that without burning your tongue.

Hamuko winked at him. "I'm Magical."

Her brother couldn't help but roll his eyes with a groan.

* * *

><p>Minato ended up having to take half of his coffee back to the dorm with them in a travel cup, but it was still as good as Hamuko's over-abundant happy squeals indicated. Talking to one another as they entered the dorm, both twins stopped when they saw that there was a newcomer there, talking with Yukari in the lounge.<p>

It was a man in his mid-thirties, from what they could tell, dressed in a light brown suit. Brown hair fell in loose waves to his shoulders, and he was pushing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles up further on his nose as he turned, having heard the door shut. "Ah, so there you two are." He called out in greeting, voice friendly. Yukari looked up as he spoke, hazel eyes wide; she opened her mouth, most likely to ask what had taken the twins so long, but stopped as she saw the cup in Minato's hands.

"Haha, Chagall?" She asked as Minato and Hamuko walked over, sitting down on the sofa with her. "That explains why you two were out so long …"

"Now now, Takeba-san, it's not a problem." The new man cut her off gently, voice carrying an undercurrent of laughter. "It's alright if they're exploring the town; they just moved here after all." When he saw that the brunet girl had relaxed, he turned to the twins. "Now, I suppose introductions are in order," he began, offering a smile that made the hairs on the back of Hamuko's neck stand up. "I'm Ikutsuki Shuji, chairman of the board for Gekkoukan High School."

Minato arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of his coffee before speaking. "And what brings the chairman of the board out to a lonely dorm like this? I doubt it's solely to greet us; if you did that with every new student, you'd be run ragged." He noticed Yukari flinching out of the corner of his eye, but if it was due to his direct statement or not, he couldn't tell.

To his credit, Ikutsuki took it in stride with a chuckle. "Well, I _am _here to greet you, but only because I'm afraid there was a paperwork technicality at the office." He replied, pushing his glasses up his nose once again. "While I can understand the two of you wanting to be in a co-ed dorm, this one is rather far back; I don't know what could have caused that mistake to happen."

"So then why come see us, Ikutsuki-san?" Hamuko tilted her head, forcing her voice to remain calm. "Is it just to get our opinions on if we want to stay here or move on to a different dorm?"

"That would be correct." Ikutsuki nodded, giving her a smile that made all three teens grimace internally. "And I'm impressed! Most people have a hard time pronouncing my name correctly the first time they hear it." Shifting as he spoke, the brunet man chuckled. "So, go ahead, ask any questions you might have."

Minato stalled his answer, brain working; the answer Ikutsuki had given for his visit seemed solid enough, but if that were true, why wait for the second night? The blue-haired teen almost wished Naoto was present; something about the way his youngest sister stared at a person while she questioned them seemed to yield good results.

Deciding to just go with it, at least for now, the teen focused on Ikutsuki, curious to see if his stare could do something similar to Naoto's. "Is there anyone here besides us, Takeba-san and Kirijo-senpai?" He asked; he'd heard something on his floor a few days previously, the mysterious noise distracting him from his studying.

"Yes, actually; a senior named Sanada Akihiko." Ikutsuki nodded, looking around as he spoke. "... Come to think of it, where _is _he? I know Mitsuru-san's hard at work upstairs ..."

"Probably out jogging." Yukari said with a shrug, speaking up for the first time since the twins had sat down. "There wasn't a boxing club meet, so he's most likely only going to show up later on the evening." Ikutsuki let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

"Of course. That's Akihiko-san for you." He stated with an amused sigh, smiling at the twins. "Do you have any other questions?"

"If this is still a dorm for Gekkoukan High School, why is it so far away from the others?"

Minato and Yukari both turned at that, looking at Hamuko. The auburn's ruby eyes were narrowed as she made eye contact with Ikutsuki, making the other two scootch away to give her more space. Seemingly not noticing them, Hamuko frowned as she continued speaking. "Unless this is a refurbished building, but even then, I doubt it. The only thing this could pass for is a small hotel, and it's too far away from the coastline to get much business."

Blinking, Minato did a double take over the rim of his coffee cup as he finished it; was it his imagination, or did Ikutsuki's smile falter for a moment?

The brunet man's expression was back to being warm and friendly, letting out a string of chuckles. "Dear me, no! This isn't a re purposed building, and certainly not a hotel; the kitchen's nowhere near suited for that. Trust me, I heard it quite vocally from someone else that it's … rather small, for a dorm kitchen." The look on Ikutsuki's face almost made Minato chuckle, getting up to discard his empty cup. "But to answer your question, Hamuko-san, it's due to the fact that it's a co-ed dorm; it was actually just started a couple years ago as an experiment to see how well a co-ed dorm would work. The board just decided to isolate it from the others to keep anything too problematic to happen."

Hamuko's glare lessened at that, but the frown didn't. "And if the experiment goes well?"

"Then rest assured there will be other co-ed dorms in this area." Ikutsuki replied. "There were originally plans to have them closer to the train station, yes, but there wasn't enough real estate for us to purchase for them."

Although she continued with her hard stare, Hamuko nodded in acceptance before standing up. "I'm sorry for being so rude, but I have to do my homework." She said, Minato worried; again, Hamuko was slipping into a tone of voice far more suited for Naoto. True, he hadn't heard it since the night they had arrived in Iwatodai, but it was still unnerving to see his bubbly sister so _serious. _

Ikutsuki just smiled at her. "Ah yes, thats good of you! The early bird catches the bookworm!"

Minato swore he could _hear _his brain cry out in agony at the horrendous nature of the pun.

Yukari let out a groan, shaking her head in annoyance; Ikutuski had _almost _made it completely through the conversation without making a pun.

Hamuko's only response was the corner of one eye twitching, biting her tongue behind an awkward half smile to keep from saying anything.

Ikutsuki just chuckled at them. "Hehe, sorry, sometimes they just slip out." He apologized, voice full of glee as he spoke. Hamuko just shook her head, using the action as a way to calm herself down before giving the man a parting bow. It took all of the control she possessed to walk up the stairs like normal, but when she had reached the third floor, the auburn bolted to her room.

Sighing in relief when she had the wood closed behind her, Hamuko rubbed her forehead; Eurydice was even more irate than she had been earlier in the day, and it was giving Hamuko a headache. 'Whatever exactly you _are, _Eurydice, I wish there was a way to talk beyond vague feelings.' Hamuko sighed, shaking her head; although she could question the presence, it never responded vocally.

Hamuko was certain the only reason she called the presence Eurydice was because that had been the name in her six-year-old mind that night on the bridge. It had been the night she and Minato had lost her parents, and while she didn't remember _exactly _what had happened, Hamuko could recall the sentient black blobs that had attacked her and Naoto. Minato was too far away from the accident, their mother had perished in the crash, and their father was nowhere in sight.

She had been scooping up her three-year-old sister into her arms when one nearly attacked her, a sword held in one had. Hamuko recalled screaming, blue fire, but then … nothing.

Nothing beyond the golden marionette setting the blob ablaze in scarlet flames.

When she had regained consciousness in the hospital a few days later, Hamuko had felt something in the back of her mind, sedate. When her six-year-old self had let the name of Eurydice run through her mind, the presence responded; it did nothing to attack her, only stirring when time froze for an hour at midnight. Even then, it seemed to only be in the presence of the sentient darkness, having remained calm when Hamuko's grandfather had taught her how to use a naginata. The only visible sign that something had changed in the small girl was her eyes shifting from their normal blue color to the ruby red she possessed to the present day.

Shaking her head, Hamuko let out a sigh; while still agitated, Eurydice wasn't making a racket. The auburn could at least try to focus on her homework now. It would be good to get it done before bedtime.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Minato focused back on the group and offered Ikutsuki a small smile. "Sorry about Hamuko; she's … odd. I'm her twin and I don't fully understand her thought process at times." Ikutsuki just chuckled and waved his hand in a dismissive fasion.<p>

"I wasn't offended, don't worry; I've been told before that I tend to go on and on." He replied, brown eyes hiding amusement. "You have homework too, I assume. Unless you have any more questions, I should let you get to it." Minato paused, weighing his options; yes, they _had _said the only resident of the dorm he had yet to meet was Akihiko, but that blue-eyes boy from that first night …

However, something stopped him from asking. What exactly, though, he did not know, but his grandfather had always insisted that gut instincts were to be listened to first in situations with no clear answer available. Minato's instincts were telling him to keep quiet about the strange boy and his red ledger, so Minato did just that. Offering Ikutuski and Yukari a quiet smile, he shook his head and stood up. "No … I hope it doesn't take too long to sort out that issue with paperwork you were talking about." He said instead, giving the two a polite bow before heading up the stairs.

Once upstairs, Minato sat down on his bed and let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank god that situation didn't get nearly as awkward as it could have been …' he thought to himself. 'That pun was physically painful, though.' Pushing the thought of painful 'humor' from his brain, Minato settled down and got to work on the small amount of homework that he had left to do. '…. Did we cover that in Ekoda's class?' He wondered, cursing the fact that the Classical Literature teacher's lectures were a chore to remain conscious through.

It was close to eleven-thirty by the time his homework was done, making Minato yawn as he rubbed an eye. "Dark already …? Time seems to go faster here than it does in Inaba." He murmured as he stood up from the desk, debating taking a shower or waiting until morning. '… Maybe the hot water will help me stay awake tomorrow morning …' Yawning again, Minato opted to turn off the light and crawl under his blankets, shedding his clothes once he had done so. The heavy duvet was warm and comforting, and the blue-haired boy had passed out before he realized his eyes were shut.

Which made the sudden sound of opera singing in his ears a massive surprise.

Lifting his head, the first thing Minato registered was that he was thankfully dressed again, wearing his school uniform as he tried to get his bearings in the strange, almost completely blue room. He was seated in a chair with a lyre-shaped back, in a room with walls made from stylized, hollow metal. A glance towards the nearest wall showed him that, wherever he was, it appeared to be moving upwards in some fashion.

'… Note to self, don't accept a treat from Junpei's bento tomorrow. I don't trust them anymore'.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Jumping what felt like a foot out of his skin at the voice, Minato whirled around, focusing on what – or rather, on whom – had materialized directly in front of him. The first thing he noticed was the man in front of him, seated in a plush blue chair. He was short and hunched over, exposing the bald top of his head to the teen. Wide, bloodshot eyes focused on the teen, broken up by a nose that seemed too large to be physically possible, almost hiding the Cheshire Cat grin that spread across his cheeks.

Beside the chair, watching Minato with inquisitive gold eyes, was a girl around his age. She wore a dress in various shades of blue, with golden circles going down the front. Dark blue gloves and boots accented the outfit, and a small cap rested on top of her short bobbed hair. She reminded Minato of the women behind the counter at hotels, albeit one that crawled out of the one American show Naoto loved to watch. The _Twilight Zone, _if Minato remembered it correctly.

Regaining his voice when he realized the two were staring at him, Minato arched an eyebrow. "Well … I guess an elevator _is _a room, technically." He admitted, tilting his head to one side. "But … Why bring me here? For what purpose?"

"It is nothing serious, not yet, anyways ..." The short man replied, chuckling again. "My name is Igor, and I have summoned you from within your dreams … Do forgive my overeager nature, but it has been years since we last had a guest in the Velvet Room."

Minato shifted a bit in his chair at that, uncomfortable; this 'Igor' character reminded him of Dr. Victor, and while the man was good at his job, he gave Minato an uncomfortable feeling. "... And why is that?" He asked, frowning. "I can imagine many people'd love to enter such a strange place in their dreams."

Igor didn't seem to mind the jab, instead opting to chuckle and wave his hand, causing the red ledger Minato had signed to appear. "Yes, this is true … That is why only those with a contract can enter this place, otherwise we'd never have a moment's rest." Minato did a double take at the sight of the ledger, blue-grey eyes widening.

"That's …! You mean that isn't the dorm contract?" He asked, worried; if he had gotten himself involved in a supernatural situation due to singing a contract, Naoto and his grandfather were _really _going to lay into him when they found out. At that, however, he paused. "Wait … the boy who gave that to me said Hamuko'd already signed a contract herself …. Why isn't she here at the same time?"

"Simple." Igor chuckled, laying the contract down on the table in front of Minato. "Yes, you two are twins … but you are not single-minded." Letting his large eyes focus onto Minato again, Igor's smile widened. "As for your sister … her contract wasn't quite the same as yours; more a verbal agreement than anything written … However, I expect both of you to abide by the rules stated in the contract."

Not seeing a way out, Minato grit his teeth and nodded; he would have to play along for now, especially if Hamuko was involved as well. It was frustratingly clever of this 'Igor' character to keep them separate, and he seemed to know this. "So why summon me?" He finally stated, trying to keep his voice professional.

"Ah yes ..." Igor let out another chuckle. "That is simple … you have a great potential within you, and you would require my assistance to unlock it." At that, Igor nodded to the young woman beside him. "This is Elizabeth; she will also aid you along the Journey that lies before you ..." Waving his hand, the ledger vanished, showing a simple card on the table instead. "But alas, our time with you runs short … We shall have to explain more next time. Until we meet again …"

Minato opened his mouth to say something, but the Velvet Room had vanished in a whirl of blue and black light before any sound could escape.

* * *

><p>Mitsuru drummed her nails against an arm as she watched the monitor, a frown pulling her lips tight. Yukari and Ikutsuki were nearby as well, watching the screen with her. The three of them were peering into Minato's room, watching as the blue-haired teen slept away. The clock was mere minutes away from midnight, and the boy was blissfully unaware of the camera spying on him.<p>

"... This feels wrong ..." Yukari said after a tense moment had passed, sighing heavily. Mitsuru turned to look at the brunet girl, noting the way she shifted from foot to foot as they watched the cameras. "I mean … I know we need more members in the group, but … Can't we find a less creepy way of checking to make sure?" She asked, hazel eyes darting between Mitsuru and the camera.

"Unfortunately, Takeba-san, we haven't had much luck." Mitsuru said with a sigh, looking out the window. "The only reason I was able to track down Akihiko was pure luck and stubbornness, and even then, it took far longer than I was comfortable with." Shaking her head, the redhead nodded at the screen. "And while he was fully functional that first night, it isn't saying too much. It's always best to make certain ..."

"Well, it's almost midnight." Ikutsuki nodded, turning to the two girls. "Is Akihiko-san still out?" He asked in confusion, looking around.

"Yes; he's quite adamant about keeping up a patrol on nights like these." Mituru admitted, looking towards the window. "He hasn't encountered anything yet, but it's perhaps better to be safe then get caught off guard ..." Sighing, the redhead shook her head. "I'll inform him first thing tomorrow if things are in our favor."

Ikutsuki nodded in confirmation, smiling. "As dutiful as always, Mitsuru-san." He commented, the world turning black as he spoke. All electronics and lights went out, save for the large monitor the three were watching. Minato himself remained unchanged, simply rolling over in his sleep to bury his face into the pillow.

"... He's completely stable." Mitsuru observed, gripping her sleeve. "No fluctuation, no hints of transmogrifying ..." Looking at Ikutsuki, the redhead offered him a shaky smile. "... Would it be safe to say it's possible for him to …?" Ikutsuki smiled as he turned to her, and opened his mouth to say something when he did a double take and stared at the door, hazel eyes widening in shock. Mitsuru went to ask him what was wrong when a voice that made her blood freeze reached them.

"You know, normally I'm not bad with insects. But bugging my room? _Gross." _

Mitsuru went ramrod stiff, every hair on her body seeming to stand on end as she slowly turned to look. Yukari seemed just as shocked, having whirled around fast and dropped her hand to her thigh in case she needed to grab the gun strapped there. Mitsuru didn't blame her; Hamuko stood in the doorway in her uniform, tossing a small camera up and down in one hand.

Her expression was nothing short of pure, burning _fury._

Catching the camera in her hand when she saw that everyone was focusing on her, the auburn girl's frown grew deeper. "I figured something was up with that excuse earlier; Jiji got the paperwork sent in the same week we were accepted. The only way such a serious choke-up could have happened was if _someone _had tapered with the papers." Ruby eyes sharpened on Ikutsuki, who visibly recoiled. Mitsuru couldn't say she blamed him; she had been told before that her own glares were frightening, and her eyes weren't as red as Hamuko's were.

"I … I didn't feel it would be safe to wager that your grandfather would allow you to come if he knew why." The chairman stammered, clearly put out by the fact that Hamuko had seen through things so fast.

"And you think _LYING _is the answer?!" Hamuko shot back, voice raising just enough to make those present flinch again. The hand that held the camera clenched, the small electronic straining under the grip. "Jiji's not a _stupid _man, you do realize; if you had gone to him with an explanation, he would have been wiling to work with you." She continued, the hand not holding the camera in a vice grip resting on her hip. "As it is, I don't think he'd take too kindly to finding out there's ulterior motives for us getting accepted to the school."

Mitsuru felt her blood freeze; of all the people to have angry at them, the current Raidou Kuzunoha was at the top of the list to _avoid. _And here stood his eldest granddaughter in a state that she could only call _righteous fury_, clearly not impressed that they had not only _tricked _her and her twin into coming, but were currently _spying _on them.

This was a dangerous situation, and Mitsuru didn't know how to rectify things without sending them spinning into a fiery pit. Ikutsuki seemed just as unsure as to how to respond, opening and closing his mouth despite no sound coming out.

Yukari was ultimately the one who broke the silence. "Yo … you mean … if we had just _told _you what was going on, you would have come along anyway?" she asked, voice small. Hamuko's gaze softened the most marginal of fractions when she looked at the other junior, but it was clear she was still angry at the situation.

"Considering I've been stuck in this weird time-paradox nonsense for the past ten years? _Gladly. _Jiji and I have been trying to figure it out for a while now, with no leads._" _Ignoring the shocked looks she got from both Yukari and Ikutsuki, Hamuko tossed the camera up into the air once more. Before anyone could react, scarlet flames enveloped it in a flash, melting the plastic case and cracking the glass to render the electronic useless. Mitsuru recoiled slightly at the flames, knowing exactly what that display was meant as. It was every bit as plain as if Hamuko had shouted it; she _wasn't _going to be lead along or easily distracted, and this sort of thing would _not _fly.

And that frightened Mitsuru the most; even though Hamuko had mentioned she'd been active for ten years, the redhead hoped that her grandfather had attempted to keep her out of the supernatural nonsense. If anything, he had _raised _her to thrive in such a world, which both frightened and unbalanced Mitsuru.

She had been expecting a naive little princess, spoiled by her grandfather.

This wasn't a princess; this was an angry dragon.

And they needed to figure out how to appease it before everything went up in flames.

Opening her mouth to speak again, Mitsuru paused when the door behind Hamuko closed. "Y'know, Mitsuru, Shinji and I warned you that this would just bite us in the behind." Akihiko's voice made everyone turn to look, the male senior standing behind the angry auburn. A matching gun holster to one Mitsuru wore was at his waist, the gun on his left hip. A single, silver eyebrow arched as he looked at the others there. "Especially considering the Kuzunoha family; Shinji and I were in Inaba for long enough to hear stories about them."

Ikutsuki seemed to have recovered his voice at the sight of the silver-haired teen, letting out a relieved noise. "I … I will admit that it was partially a fault on my end; I didn't know until the twins were en route that Arisato and Shirogane were just cover names for the family ..."

Akihiko didn't comment, instead deciding to drop his arm around Hamuko's shoulders. "Well, you found out the hard way then." He commented, voice as casual as if he _weren't _restraining someone who could set everyone on fire. "And it looks like her brother's got the potential too, so you can turn off the cameras. Or do I need to drag Shinji in here to break the rest?"

Mitsuru groaned; Akihiko and his best friend had found the hidden cameras in their rooms the very first night, and she _still _hadn't found all the pieces … "No, Akihiko, that won't be necessary." She spoke up, keeping Ikutsuki from speaking up. "I'll speak to Father about having the electronics removed tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll hold you to it." Akihiko said with a nod, turning Hamuko around with a strong grip that broke the girl's anger. "Now, to avoid any more property damage, I'm gonna see what Hamuko-san here can do _outside. _If that's alright, Hamuko-san?" Hamuko, off-balanced and shaken from her anger, simply blinked at him.

"Wait … if you were on patrol, how'd you get here so fast?" Yukari asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"I was getting ready to head out when I heard angry yelling a floor above me." Akihiko replied with a shrug, looking over his shoulder. "Trust me, I've learned from experience to stick around if angry yelling starts up."

Mitsuru shuddered, remembering Akihiko's best friend when he was in a temper.

"Anyway, we'll head out on patrol then, Mitsuru." Akihiko said with a wave, opening the door. "You work on how you're gonna explain things to Minato-san, because I don't think he'll be any less angry than Hamuko-san here." With that, he left the room with Hamuko in tow, not giving Mitsuru – or anyone – the chance to counter him.

Yukari collapsed into a chair the moment she heard the door click. "Yeah, but hopefully his ability isn't _fire." _She commented with a groan. "Plus he seems to be a lot harder to anger from what I've seen in class … "

"I imagine Hamuko-san's similar." Mitsuru nodded, sighing as she tugged her hair. "We just managed to hit the one button that got under her skin faster than anything … Thank goodness Akihiko knows how to diffuse fiery tempers like that."

"Yes, thank goodness indeed." Ikutsuki let out a sigh as he turned off the monitor, frowning. "I guess I'll work on how to explain this to your father … You'll keep an eye on the two while they're on patrol, right?" He asked Mitsuru, who nodded.

"And me?" Yukari asked, shifting a fraction. "Anything you want me to do?" Mitsuru turned to the other girl and shook her head, eyes softening.

"No … you go get some rest; Hamuko-san's temper seems to have gotten to you the most." She said, biting back an internal sigh. "If something comes up where you're needed, I'll come get you, okay?" Yukari gave a nod of understanding, clearly fighting back yawns as she went downstairs. Mitsuru waited until she was gone before letting out a sigh, pulling out the large, radio-like scanner as she set it up. While a part of her was glad Akihiko had shown up like that – he was so unexpected that he had _completely unbalanced _the wrathful Hamuko – Mitsuru still felt like she had failed on some level.

For the first time, she had met someone who had been around this power for as long as she had. And Mitsuru had gone and gotten them angry.

She could only pray that wasn't an ill omen for the coming year.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tori's notes: <strong>And then Hamuko decides to throw a wrench in things.  
><em>

_To clarify why Akihiko's sudden appearance derailed her temper so much, it was a matter of balance; she was so focused on the three who had gotten her angry, that when he showed up out of nowhere and steered her out of the situation before she could fully register him showing up, he knocked her off-balance. Boxers of Akihiko's caliber know all about balance. **  
><strong>_

_Anyway, stuff's gonna get rolling even more next chapter! Including - if I can manage it - a look into Hamuko's Velvet Room ... And of course Magician. Can't forget Magician. _


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